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Monday, 16 May 2011

It Beggar'd All Description

Do you remember what Christmas Eve felt like when you were a child? That sense of heightened anticipation. The hours dragging by. And, underneath it all, the vague disquiet that perhaps Father Christmas never received your list of presents and he'll forget to visit your house...

I'm full of those same mixed feelings, because the release date for my eBook is coming closer and closer. In all the excitement and exhaustion, I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas Day to arrive so I can unwrap my parcels and share them with others. And, underneath those good feelings, I'm filled with an awful sense of disquiet because the moment of truth about my novel is approaching more quickly than I thought.

Here's a sneak preview of the blurb that I'll be posting on the distribution sites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and Scribd:

Dancing in the Shadows of Love(ISBN 978-0-620-49871-5)

After a decade in prison for a murder she did not commit, Lulu begins a new life at the Court of St Jerome in the Old Sea City. An albino, abandoned as a young child at a Holding Camp for unwanted children, she has always been ostracised, for her difference to others makes her an easy victim of prejudice.

Once, she believed, she had a friend to love her. Then that friend betrayed her and Lulu learned that hate is safer than love. But, from Jamila to Granny Zahra, the people of St Jerome’s appear to accept her into their fold. Against a backdrop of never-ending war, the women of the court fight their personal demons: hatred, ambition and greed. As Lulu shares their victories and their losses, she learns to trust again, perhaps even to love.

Nothing, however, is as it seems and Lulu discovers that love does not always wear the face of the one you yearn to call beloved.

This compelling story explores the sacrifices people make in the pursuit of a love that transcends everyday existence. Lulu’s quest, and that of Jamila and Zahra too, is to find the divine love that will fulfil their hopes and save their souls...if they can recognise the masks of those who seek to lead them astray.

What do you think? Does it make you want to peek beneath the wrapping? Do you think the book trailer I made accurately reflects the blurb? Any advice is welcome!

And would you be willing to host me as a guest blogger either as an author interview discussing my novel, or on another topic if you wish, such as a writing tip or a South African interest or a discussion topic? If you would like to host me, please email me so we can set a mutually agreeable date. ***For those of you who like to source their quotes, the title of this post comes from Shakespeare'sAnthony and Cleopatra,Act II, Sc ii. ***

Wow... it definitely pulled me and I so want to read more... it deals with issues I had to face... trust issues and I would love to discover more about how the three went about dealing with it and discovering all the faces of love.

DAMARIA: Thanks so much – the Q&A you’ve sent me is great! I’ll get it back to you over the weekend (must go and make my voting X tomorrow!!!)

PAUL: You were on the road home when I unveiled the cover and put up the interview with the artist! You may find it interesting to check the archives and read the interview with Wenkidu; he’s an incredibly spiritual artist!

LINDA: I’m sure you don’t need a new blurb – my blurb makes me shudder, so I think we’re super critical of our own blurbs. Thanks for good wishes – I hope Brevity of Roses is doing well!

FRANCES: I *want* to have fun but the mad rush to try and remember everything is mind-numbing! Now I know why traditional publishing is so comforting!!

BIRDIE: I’m *so* glad you feel you’d want to read more! It’s agonising trying to get 200 or so words to describe a 75000 word novel. Inevitably, it feels as if its lacking something, so your comment was good to read!

CLAIRE: I’ve been having doubts about that cover, so glad someone still likes it!:) Only 2 more sleepies to launch! Scary and exciting!

ANITA: Fantastic! Thanks so much for hosting me! Let me know how you want to approach it and when you want it. (BTW, to anyone who hosts me, I’m offering a random commentator a $15 gift voucher from Amazon) Will wait to hear from you, much appreciated!

LANA (Tabouleh): Learning to trust again is a big issue for Lulu, so I hope the story talks to you! Hosting means I visit you as a guest blogger on your blog – you can send me questions that I send you answers to, or you can ask me to do a guest post on a topic that you think will interest your bloggers (I used to do evolutionary astrology, so I’m even happy to do a motivational or inspirational or teaching post about that, if you’d prefer that to a writing post) So you let me know what you want me to write about – you tell me your blog guidelines so I know what parameters I must work in, and then we decide on a mutual date. What I get is that at the end of the post I put up a short biography and a link to my blog and to my eBook. So…if you want to host me, you can email me at judy@judycroome.com I’d love to do something different on your blog (to anyone who hosts me, I’ll offer a random commentator a $15 gift voucher from Amazon)

SHAZ: I’m so glad to see you here as well! Welcome to the blog!! Glad the blurb drew your interest!

Hi Judy .. would love to have you on my blog - re the book, the artist for the cover and a bit about South Africa .. or the influences you used within the book ..

The music on the video is wonderful .. and the cover looks great .. I am just waiting beggardly for my copy to come winging its way over .. lucky me!

I'm going to check out your post '12 easy steps to make a book trailer' - you've had such a steep learning curve, with so much else going on .. not easy - but can take ones mind off things (both ways) ..

Book Trailer

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